Top 10 Home Remedies for Chest Pain

Chest pain is not always due to heart attack. There are many other causes of chest pain. However, whenever you feel pain in chest, you must visit your doctor to rule out any possibility of heart attack or other problems related to heart. This type of chest pain is due to obstruction or spasm of the coronary arteries and is known as angina. Chest pain should not be taken lightly in any circumstance. Once it is known that your chest pain is not due to heart attack, then you may proceed further to take help of home remedies for chest pain. Your chest pain may be due to one of many causes. It may be due to acidity, cold, gastritis, stress, anxiety, coughing, and smoking among many others. Here are some home remedies for chest pain due to these medical conditions that will help you in relieving the discomfort and pain in your chest.

Home Remedies for Chest Pain

1. Garlic for Chest Pain

Garlic is one herb that has this indisputable reputation of being a herb beneficial for overall health but more so for heart. Garlic is a treasure house of various vitamins and minerals including calcium, phosphorus, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin and vitamin C. It also contains traces of iodine, sulfur and chlorine. Among many other diseases, garlic is able to fight off heart diseases, cough, asthma, phlegm etc. that all can cause chest pain. As less as a clove of garlic a day can lower high cholesterol and prevent building of plaque on your arterial walls that gives rise to angina or chest pain by not allowing enough oxygen rich blood to reach your heart. Raw garlic is more beneficial for heart but even when you use garlic while cooking your dishes, it passes on its healthy goodness to your body. You may also use garlic capsules and garlic juice.

Ways to Use Garlic for Chest Pain

Take a clove of raw garlic and swallow it with water every morning on an empty stomach.

Take 10 drops of garlic juice and 2 teaspoons of honey, mix them in a glass of water. Have it once a day. This is especially beneficial for asthma related discomforts.

Take 8-10 cloves of garlic and grind them to get their paste. Mix this with some flour to make a poultice. Tie it to your back to get relief from pleurisy related chest pain. Pleurisy is a condition when water gets accumulated in your lungs and you experience fever, difficulty in breathing along with chest pain.

Take a glass of milk and add 6-8 chopped garlic to this. Now boil this milk. Drink it while chewing the garlic in it. This helps in reducing phlegm relieving you of chest pain due to phlegm accumulation.

Add few drops of garlic juice in a cup of hot water and drink this to relieve chest pain.

Take ½ cup of mustard oil. Peel a whole garlic pod. Crush the garlic cloves a little. Add this to the mustard oil and heat the oil. Massage your chest and throat with this oil to relieve chest pain due to cough.

Consume 3-4 cloves of garlic everyday after meals if you suffer from gas problem. This will also relieve chest pain due to gas.

Recommended for: Chest Pain due to angina, gas, and cough.

Precaution: Sometimes angina and heart attack are mistaken for each other. While angina does not completely block the blood flow to your heart, a heart attack does that. Angina chest pain is a warning for a future heart attack and should not be ignored. While garlic or any other home remedy for chest pain due to angina can, over time, cure the blockage of arteries, you should not take any risk when experiencing acute chest pain. If you have a chest pain that lasts for more than fifteen minutes or is accompanied by shortness of breath as well as nausea, immediately take medical assistance.

2. Ginger Root for Chest Pain

Ginger root is a popular herb spice with a long history of medicinal use for various medical conditions. It is especially recommended for gastrointestinal issues including acidity, cold and flu, inflammation and immune support and is a proven remedy for vomit and nausea, even for pregnant women. If you suffer from chest pain, you may consider having ginger root tea to reduce inflammation and to get relief from coughing and other symptoms like heartburn that cause pain in your chest.

3. Turmeric for Chest Pain

Turmeric, again a herb spice extensively used in Asian cuisines, has been a traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for inflammatory diseases. Turmeric is used by herbalists for treating various conditions including flatulence, bruises, and chest pain among others. The component curcumin in turmeric helps relieve inflammation and pain due to its excellent anti-inflammatory properties. In fact, curcumin is also effective when it comes to protect your heart. Many heart diseases are the major reasons of chest pain. Curcumin helps prevent the oxidation of cholesterol which damages blood vessels and builds up plaque on the arterial walls. Turmeric is also a good source of vitamin B6 which is associated with a reduced risk of heart diseases.

Ways to Use Turmeric

Add turmeric powder while cooking dishes.

Take ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder and mix it with a cup of hot milk. Add 2 teaspoons of honey and a little black pepper to it. Mix well and drink this hot turmeric milk.

Take 2 tablespoons of turmeric powder and 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. Pour hot water over it. Drink this tea.

Recommended for: Chest pain due to chest congestion

Precaution: If you are on blood-thinning medicines, consult your doctor before consuming turmeric for heart or stroke. Pregnant and breast feeding mothers should also consult doctor before taking high amounts of turmeric.

4. Holy Basil for Chest Pain

Holy basil or Tulsi is not only an effective anti-bacterial herb but also has excellent anti-inflammatory effects along with nutrients essential for your heart. The volatile oils present in basil have a component called eugenol. This eugenol has the ability to block the activity of an enzyme called cyclooxygenase (COX) in your body. Various non-steriodal over-the-counter anti-inflammatory medicines like aspirin and ibuprofen etc. work on the same principle. They inhibit the same enzyme COX. This quality of basil has anti-inflammatory effect on body and give relief from pain due to inflammation as well as relieve inflammatory bowel conditions. Basil also have good amounts of carotenoids such as beta-carotene in it. This makes basil a good source of vitamin A as beta carotine can be converted into vitamin A and in fact it is a more powerful anti-oxidant than vitamin A. This protects you from free radical damage as well as from oxidizing cholesterol in the blood stream. Cholesterol builds up in your blood vessel walls only after they have been oxidized and then lead to atherosclerosis which in turn results into heart attack or stroke. Basil is also a good source of magnesium. Magnesium is needed for cardiovascular health as it relaxes muscles and blood vessels and contributes in improved blood flow to heart. For all these reasons, basil can be an effective remedy for chest pain due to heart related issues. As it is also a good decongestant, basil can relieve chest pain due to cough too.

Ways to Use Basil

Chew 4-5 holy basil leaves every morning.

Crush 8-10 basil leaves and extract juice from this. Mix this juice to 1-2 tsp of honey and have it daily.

Boil 1-2 cups of water with few basil leaves and some ginger pieces till the water remains half of its original quantity. Add a tsp of honey to this. Have this tea to relieve cough and cold causing chest pain.

Recommended for: Cheat pain due to cough, gas. It also strengthens cardiovascular health preventing chest pain due to it.

5. Alfalfa for Chest Pain

Alfalfa is a very good herb that has many medicinal properties. It has vitamins C, B, niacin, riboflavin, vitamin A as beta-carotene, vitamin D and K among others. It is rich in chlorophyll and xantophyll pigments. It also has various phytosterols, amino acids, along with saponins, tannins, fiber as well as protein. All its components make it a valuable herb for various diseases. Various enzymes present in alfalfa help in better food assimilation and digestion which in turn relieves heartburnand gastrointestinal problems that may cause chest pain. Saponins and fiber in alfalfa reduce the absorption of cholesterol by your body. Its coumarins along with its anti-platelet properties prevent blood clots in the arteries and ensure smooth blood flow towards heart preventing chest pain along with other heart diseases. The chlorophyll in it helps manage lung related diseases that may lead to chest congestion and pain.

Ways to Use Alfalfa

Take 1 tsp of dried alfalfa. Pour warm water over it and let it infuse for 10 minutes. Strain and have this. Repeat twice a day.

Add alfalfa sprouts in your salads.

Take alfalfa leaves and extract juice from them. Have 1/3 cup of this alfalfa juice every day.

Recommended for: Chest pain due to gas, heartburn and acidity. It is also good for preventing heart diseases that may cause chest pain.

Precaution: Due to rich concentration of fiber, it may lead to irritable bowel.

6. Hibiscus Tea for Chest Pain

Hibiscus is a rich source of antioxidants, especially flavonoids that may neutralize free radicals and thus protect your general well being. The antioxidants in this herb, in fact, reduce fat accumulation in the arteries, thus preventing heart diseases and chest pain. Due to the high amounts of Vitamin C present in hibiscus, this herb plays an important role in strengthening your immune system, especially if you are prone to cold and flu giving way to cough that may lead to immense chest pain. Hibiscus tea can thus relieve coughs, chest pains, sore throat and other common respiratory diseases including pneumonia and bronchitis that are some of the major reasons for chest pain.

How to Make Hibiscus Tea?

Get this:

Hibiscus flower petals- handful of them

Water- 1- ½ cups

Do this:

Add hibiscus petals to the water.

Bring this water to a boil and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Strain and have this tea.

While having the tea, inhale the steam too so that the phlegm in your chest loosens up and you may get relief.

Recommended for: Chest pain due to cough. It also helps prevent heart diseases that may give you chest pain.

Precaution: Hibiscus tea may lower blood pressure and have diuretic effects. Pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should avoid having this tea. Sometimes, hibiscus tea may also have hallucinatory and intoxicating effects.

7. Pomegranate Juice for Chest Pain

Many laboratory and clinical studies have shown that pomegranate can be helpful in alleviating cardiovascular disease. It prevents damage to arterial walls by reducing oxidative stress, supporting the synthesis and activity of nitric oxide along with stopping the oxidation of LDL (low-density lipoprotein). This not only helps prevent but also reverse atherosclerosis, a disease which involves hardening and narrowing of the arteries causing heart attacks, strokes, and peripheral vascular disease (plaque build up in the arteries). These all have chest pain as early symptom. Pomegranate juice, due to its effective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties can prevent these diseases along with chest pain. Therefore, drinking pomegranate juice might help you keep the arteries clear of the build-up of fatty deposits.

How Much Pomegranate Juice to Have in a Day?

The US Department of Agriculture recommends consuming one and a half to two cups of pomegranate fruit per day in the form of fresh fruit or fruit juice.

Get this:

Pomegranate seeds- ½ cup

Water- 1/3 cup

Do this:

Grind the pomegranate seeds using a blender or food processor.

Extract the juice from the resultant crushed material with the help of a sieve.

Add water to this.

Have this 2-3 times a day.

You may also have pomegranate seeds by adding them to salads etc.

Recommended for: Chest pain due to heart diseases.

Precaution: Pomegranate juice is not an alternative to the medicines you may be taking for your heart disease. Consult your doctor before adopting any home remedy for heart diseases.

8. Omega 3 Fatty Acids for Chest Pain

Not all fat is bad for your body. Omega-3 fatty acids are beneficial as well as essential fats that our body needs but can not make it on its own. Omega-3 fats can actually prevent coronary heart disease (CHD) in healthy people and slow down the progress of this disease in people who already have it. CHD is caused by atherosclerosis which, as explained in previous remedies too, leads to fatty deposits of plaque build up on the coronary arteries thus making it difficult for heart to get enough oxygen and nutrients. This can result into chest pain and then heart attack. A diet high in saturated fat may increase cholesterol and triglycerides leading to CHD. However, people who consume Omega 3 fats have low rates of CHD.

Precaution: If you are already suffering from heart diseases or high levels of cholesterol and triglyceride, consult your doctor about the prescribed amount and source of Omega 3 fatty acids that suit your condition.

9. Licorice Root for Chest Pain

Licorice root has been used by various traditional medicine including European, Ayurvedic and Native American medicine for treating various ailments including cough, heartburn, diarrhea, chest pain, fever, and stomach aches among others. Licorice contains flavonoids and various plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) that make it an excellent medicinal herb. Its compound glycyrrhizin has excellent therapeutic effects which is said to prevent the breakdown of adrenal hormones like cortisol. These hormones fight off stress and thus having licorice to prevent losing these crucial hormones may alleviate chest pain due to stress and anxiety. Licorice can also lower the levels of stomach acid thus relieving heartburn and indigestion that too are a cause of chest pain. This is not all. The soothing and healing action of licorice also reduces irritation and inflammation of respiratory tract. It has expectorant properties that are useful in alleviating coughs, asthma and chest infections that are also causes of chest pain.

Precaution: If you are on medicines for heart diseases or diabetes etc. consult your doctor before starting having licorice tea.

10. Oil of Oregano for Chest Pain

Oregano oil is extracted from the oregano herb by steam distillation. This oil has strong antiviral, antibacterial and anti-fungal properties and can be one of the best herbal remedies for pain and discomfort related to inflammatory conditions. This oil of oregano can come to your help for chest pain due to cough because of upper respiratory infections. This type of infection can be caused by bacteria, viruses, allergies, asthma or inhaled pollutants and may lead to chest congestion and pain as well as difficulty in breathing and irritated lungs, nose and throat. Oregano oil is composed of carvacrol, flavonoids, rosmarinic acid and terpenes that are good decongestants and natural anti-histamine agents. Decongestants relieve congestion in your respiratory tract and anti-histamines reduce fluid buildup as well as swelling related to common allergies. Once you get rid of chest congestion and cough, you are naturally relieved of chest pain too.

Ways to Use Oil of Oregano

Add 3 drops of oregano oil in a glass of water. Have twice a day.

Dilute 10-12 drops of oregano oil in 6 tsp of a carrier oil such as jojoba, sweet almond or grapeseed oil. Massage your chest gently with this oil.

Take a bowl of hot water. Add 1-2 drops of oregano oil to this. Inhale steam coming out of this to relieve congestion and pain.

Recommended for: Chest pain due to cough and cold

Precaution: Although small amount of oregano oil doesn’t pose any risk, very large doses may cause changes in your cardiovascular system. If you suffer from heart disease, consult your doctor before using oil of oregano.

Apart from all these remedies for chest pain, you may also do meditation to relieve chest pain due to stress and anxiety. Meditation increases general blood flow and help slows down the heart rate thus reducing chest pain. Meditation relaxes you deeply and thus alleviates stress and anxiety that are also causes of chest pain. In general, leading a healthy lifestyle, having nutrient rich healthy food and managing stress are the key to keep your heart and health intact and also to alleviate chest pain.

About Sara

Sara is a Boston-based registered dietitian who works with clients to improve their health by optimizing nutrition. You can find her running, sweating in hot yoga, cooking in the kitchen, dining out, or exploring. Eating Food-Mostly Plants, and improving our relationship with food, is the secret to lifelong health in her eyes.